Marvin: The story of Lee Marvin [Hardcover]

Donald Zec (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1980

From the front flap of the dustjacket: "For nearly thirty years Lee Marvin has raised hell on and off screen from Hollywood to Honolulu. He is the sole remaining heir to those super-super-stars who, like Bogart, somehow seemed too big for the screen: who as people were as extraordinary as the parts they played... ...In this absorbing illustrated biography of Marvin, man and actor, Donald Zec incisively traces Marvin's twenty-year stampede to 'overnight success' of his Oscar-winning performance in Cat Ballou and shows how on the way he redefined the meaning of menace in the movies... ...His is the story of Hollywood's return to honesty and of the metamorphosis of a hell-raiser into a human being."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312517807
• ISBN-13: 978-0312517809
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great biography on a most interesting subject., January 30, 2011

By 

Classic Film Lover "Classic Film Lover" (West Coast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marvin: Story of Lee Marvin (Paperback)

Without a doubt, Lee Marvin was one of the finest actors to ever hit the silver screen and this biography by Donald Zec presents Mr. Marvin, warts and all. If you've always wondered about the inner life of this very charismatic,seemingly outgoing and yet, private man, this is the book to have. It discusses his films, the climate on the set of many of those films as well as Lee's relationships with his first wife Betty, his mistress Michelle Triola and that second wife. His drunken escapades are well documented and so is the private hell and inner turmoil of the aftermath of his war service. It gives Lee's own harrowing and detailed account of the day he was injured during the war. This is a biography of Lee which paints a completely well-rounded picture of him as a man. There are so many things I didn't know about him, for instance his support of the Civil Rights movement. He may not have been out there marching with the likes of James Garner and Burt Lancaster but, he was certainly a sideline participant (p.195). For some reason, this fact is very well hidden but, it made me love him even more, if possible.

I would also recommend buying the book written by his first wife Betty (Tales of a Hollywood Housewife: A Memoir By The First Mrs. Lee Marvin). Talk about a wonderfully fascinating read.

*I bought the hardcover edition of this book from a well known auction site for $9.79 brand new. The amazon marketplace price is just ridiculous

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent bio of a screen legend, May 22, 2010

By 

Brian Burkart (Willow Grove, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marvin: The story of Lee Marvin (Hardcover)

This book was written while Marvin was alive and before his career fell into Delta Force territory. Even thought the author interviewed Marvin several times I appreciated that he didn't shy away from the darker aspects of his subject's life.